Regulations in place in many municipalities require the so-called “P-trap” assembly (i.e., the waste-water piping) under sinks and the like to be insulated so as to prevent scalding or abrasion injury from contact with metal surfaces that are hot, sharp, or rough. Wheelchair-bound individuals are at particular risk.
The patent art in the field is well developed, and provides a wide variety of covering members that are effective for providing the necessary protection. Many suitable products are commercially available as well.
The most effective and desirable P-trap insulating systems consist of two or three generally tubular pieces of resiliently yieldable synthetic resinous material, molded to fit over a corresponding piece or portion of the piping (i.e., being of generally J-shaped or generally L-shaped form to cover the J-bend and waste arm of the P-trap assembly, respectively). Each such covering piece is normally slit along its length to enable it to be placed readily upon the installed pipe section, following which it is of course necessary to secure the adjacent portions along the slit. The securement means should be quick and easy to apply, and tamperproof; it should not itself present sharp and potentially injurious elements, and should not detract from the aesthetics of the installation.
Among the variety of securement means that have in the past been provided are included common ratchet-acting plastic bands, applied about the cover piece or threaded through aligned tangential slot portions, as disclosed respectively in Trueb et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,513 and 5,360,031. Elongate locking fasteners are disclosed in Trueb et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,392, and various forms of interengaging tabs and cooperating slits or recesses, as well as threaded bolts screwed into apertures, are described in Helmsderfer U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,739. Lechuga U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0108663 describes a fastener comprised of a shank and a pair of enlarged end portions, which is intended for insertion into a pair of aligned apertures. The interior construction of the aperture is described to comprise enlarged grooves or box-like recesses, separated by an inwardly projecting diametrically reduced ring, which is specifically sized to retain a fastener of the kind set forth. Velcro elements, applied in various arrangements, are also among the variety of fasteners that have been used for interengageing flanges of pipe-covering members.
Prior art in other fields provides double-beaded coupling pieces and connectors for joining end portions of various structures to one another. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,461,733 and 3,605,201 describe coupling pieces having gripping heads on their opposite ends, for constructing continuous belts. A connector having a series of barbs at each end is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,594 for joining the ends of flexible hoses; and a connector having dual parallel biting edges at each end, used for construing an endless belt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,551.